What Did NHLers have to do to make it

[iamcanadian 0]

I was wondering what you guys thought of what these NHLer's went through or go through to make it to the NHL. From novice to AHL or minor junoir.

[willsnipe 0]

Dedicating your entire life to hockey. Usually from age 5+. Were talking hockey at least 5 times a week. Countless thousands of hours of parent dedication to driving kids around and financing there aspirations. Summer hockey programs, training all year. Playing games on the road, maybe being billeted in a town away from home. Just to name a few things these players have to do to make it.

[james12lucy 0]

Born gifted, and 200% hard work. Thats what it takes, the countless hours of hard work. When your buddies are out drinking, you're out taking 2000 wrist shots. Hitting the gym for 3 hours a day in the summer trying to gain 15lbs, and improve your stability/strength/explosiveness. This and hundreds of other factors are combined.

That, or you could just sell your soul to Satan...

[dalebert 8]

Or you could ask the Perrons. :)

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

That, or you could just sell your soul to Satan...

Miro?

[Wolverine 0]

There is a hierarchy. It starts with great parents. No. GREAT PARENTS!!!! That is first & foremost!

It is a necessity in this game more than any other.

- on your own, you can work on your basketball skills hours on end at the local city courts and get good.

- on your own, you can play catch or sandlot baseball and work on your 90 mph fastball

- on your own, you can work on your 40 yrd speed, hands & weightlifing to succeed in football. Or, maybe your genes enable you to be 6'5" and 360 lbs. Your parents don't necessarily HAVE to contribute.

BUT NOT IN HOCKEY! Not in a game where you have to learn a different form of locomotion.... skating.

- you can't pay for ice time, on your own

- you can't pay for the power skating, on your own

- you cant' haul yourself to the rink (5 days a week), on your own

It takes parental sacrifice (time, money & support) BEFORE anything else. Without it, the rest crumbles.

Every young athlete in every sport should be thanking their parents more often....... but none more than ice hockey players!!!!!!!!!

[james12lucy 0]

BUT NOT IN HOCKEY! Not in a game where you have to learn a different form of locomotion.... skating.

- you can't pay for ice time, on your own

- you can't pay for the power skating, on your own

- you cant' haul yourself to the rink (5 days a week), on your own

It takes parental sacrifice (time, money & support) BEFORE anything else. Without it, the rest crumbles.

Every young athlete in every sport should be thanking their parents more often....... but none more than ice hockey players!!!!!!!!!

I call BS. I worked on my farm to pay for everything I had as a kid. I can remember being 6 years old and cleaning the cow stalls to pay for powerskating lessons. I would get out and shovel manure for new equipment too. Thats not to say my parents didn't do anything, but there was a lot I did on my end. I actually think farm work makes a player better. You're just naturally stronger, have a harder work ethic, and appreciate what you've got more.

They did however, drive me most of the time. Other times I'd walk about 2 kms with gear to get to the rink (mostly summer sessions)...

Thanks Dad!

[Aussie Joe 0]

Dean Youngblood, where you been buddy? ;)

Seriously but, I guess really its about hardwork. Most kids don't know the value till its too late to hit the NHL. Talent helps of course, that you have the ability to pick things up quicker then other kids. But most of the time its hard work and dedication.

[james12lucy 0]

I wish I had some talent! I've been running on nothing but hard work my entire life, and it hasn't got me anywhere.

[DarkStar50 679]

Read the article about Patrick Kane in The Hockey News and the sacrifices his parents made for him. A lot of parents make the same sacrifices but it is the player who makes it or not. The competitive drive to excel among professional athletes is something I think most people do not understand until they actually skate with one, even in a game of shinny. They will kill you for the puck, in a fun way of course, but it is just their nature to play that way. The higher up the pyramid you go, the tougher and tougher it gets.

[adam14 182]

I did read that article, it was a great story. its hard to believe that Little ceasars/honeybaked is the best hockey program in the country, yet the only player that made it with kane is Mueller...

[DarkStar50 679]

Which just goes to show how tough the competition is at the top. Also, Kane and Mueller are second year pros. There is still time to judge the rest of that birth year down the road.

[interpathway 9]

That, or you could just sell your soul to Satan...

Miro?

crosby i believe

I wish I had some talent! I've been running on nothing but hard work my entire life, and it hasn't got me anywhere.

if youve had fun with the game and enjoyed the work you put into it, then youve gotten farther than alot of people my friend

[JR97 2]

I'll agree with parents. Even if they don't pay a dime and the player shovels sh*t to pay his own way, without a strong support system at home the overwhelming odds are even higher. Even just moral support and providing the young one with a stable environment, self esteem, self confidence, etc. goes a long way. There are exceptions of course, but somewhere along the way a parent figure is usually involved if that support doesn't come from the home. But even then, many times the end result isn't pretty.. ie Theo Fleury, Chris Simon, etc.

[greech 4]

A buddy of mine plays in the show. Dad played there, coached national teams, and now coaches D1. It's almost being born into it. Both he and his brother spent their entire lives around the game, every waking moment because of their father. It took them around the world and now one is in the NHL and the other brother in Sm-Liiga.

[chef_ducky 0]

I was wondering what you guys thought of what these NHLer's went through or go through to make it to the NHL. From novice to AHL or minor junoir.

I would rather go Major Junior to AHL.

There was athing in the hockey news about how Pat Kane's parents spent over $200,000 in his career before the pro life.

[Stampeder 2]

Looks like it paid off very well. I'm sure most of the times it doesn't though.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

I did read that article, it was a great story. its hard to believe that Little ceasars/honeybaked is the best hockey program in the country, yet the only player that made it with kane is Mueller...

Michigan isn't producing pros, it's as simple as that. The good players are coming to Michigan to play, but they aren't from the state. Hell, SS-M alone's cranking out more impact players than the MWEHL is.

[Chadd 916]

BUT NOT IN HOCKEY! Not in a game where you have to learn a different form of locomotion.... skating.

- you can't pay for ice time, on your own

- you can't pay for the power skating, on your own

- you cant' haul yourself to the rink (5 days a week), on your own

It takes parental sacrifice (time, money & support) BEFORE anything else. Without it, the rest crumbles.

Every young athlete in every sport should be thanking their parents more often....... but none more than ice hockey players!!!!!!!!!

I call BS. I worked on my farm to pay for everything I had as a kid. I can remember being 6 years old and cleaning the cow stalls to pay for powerskating lessons. I would get out and shovel manure for new equipment too. Thats not to say my parents didn't do anything, but there was a lot I did on my end. I actually think farm work makes a player better. You're just naturally stronger, have a harder work ethic, and appreciate what you've got more.

They did however, drive me most of the time. Other times I'd walk about 2 kms with gear to get to the rink (mostly summer sessions)...

Thanks Dad!

It was your farm? I assume you mean your family farm. If so, who was paying you, your parents? Just because they made you earn the money doesn't mean it wasn't coming out of their pockets.

[DarkStar50 679]

A buddy of mine plays in the show. Dad played there, coached national teams, and now coaches D1. It's almost being born into it. Both he and his brother spent their entire lives around the game, every waking moment because of their father. It took them around the world and now one is in the NHL and the other brother in Sm-Liiga.

Gene pool and DNA do matter!!

[james12lucy 0]

BUT NOT IN HOCKEY! Not in a game where you have to learn a different form of locomotion.... skating.

- you can't pay for ice time, on your own

- you can't pay for the power skating, on your own

- you cant' haul yourself to the rink (5 days a week), on your own

It takes parental sacrifice (time, money & support) BEFORE anything else. Without it, the rest crumbles.

Every young athlete in every sport should be thanking their parents more often....... but none more than ice hockey players!!!!!!!!!

I call BS. I worked on my farm to pay for everything I had as a kid. I can remember being 6 years old and cleaning the cow stalls to pay for powerskating lessons. I would get out and shovel manure for new equipment too. Thats not to say my parents didn't do anything, but there was a lot I did on my end. I actually think farm work makes a player better. You're just naturally stronger, have a harder work ethic, and appreciate what you've got more.

They did however, drive me most of the time. Other times I'd walk about 2 kms with gear to get to the rink (mostly summer sessions)...

Thanks Dad!

It was your farm? I assume you mean your family farm. If so, who was paying you, your parents? Just because they made you earn the money doesn't mean it wasn't coming out of their pockets.

It was more of a joke than anything else. I owe everything in my life to playing hockey, and I owe hockey to my father. Farming is the way life around home, and working was expected. I know the money came from my parents, and I appreciate it all the more because I earned it. I think more kids should have that opportunity. I played on a team of half country boys and half townies and the country boys just seemed a little more level headed and hard working. That can't be said every time though.

Everyone SHOULD go thank their parents for hockey!

Cheers!

[Sniper15 0]

Does anyone have a link to the Kane article?

[iamcanadian 0]

it was in the hockey news magazine, not online

[adam14 182]

JR, I didnt mean produced in michigan, I mean the only other player on Kanes team before he went to play for the knights that made it big was Mueller.

[Dare to Dream 1980 0]

I did read that article, it was a great story. its hard to believe that Little ceasars/honeybaked is the best hockey program in the country, yet the only player that made it with kane is Mueller...

Michigan isn't producing pros, it's as simple as that. The good players are coming to Michigan to play, but they aren't from the state. Hell, SS-M alone's cranking out more impact players than the MWEHL is.

HEY JR I PLAY IN MWEHL THANKS ALOT :(